Tokyo University's touchless pointing system could wipe out smudgy screens

Touchscreens are wondrous things, but nobody likes smudges, and attempts to magically prevent oil from sticking haven't always found success. The proper solution might not be in fancy screen coatings but rather in removing the touchability together. Tokyo University has developed a system that uses a high-res camera to identify where a finger is in 3D space, so moving around and even air-clicking is detected. Multitouch seems to be right out at this point, and while the video after the break shows some rather deft looking typing on a dinky virtual keyboard, we're not entirely convinced that this is the most enjoyable or ergonomic way to interact with a cellphone. That said, if it makes the compulsive anti-smudge pantleg swipe motion a thing of the past, we'd give it a shot.